British owners of .eu domains given an extra three months to find a European address
- Reference: 1613046431
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/02/11/eu_domain_extension/
- Source link:
On Wednesday, the .eu registry operator EURid posted [1]yet another update to its “Brexit page” noting that instead of the names being withdrawn on March 31, they would instead be held in “suspension” until 30 June in order to “provide registrar and registrants that have not yet updated their registration data the opportunity to demonstrate their compliance with the .eu regulatory framework.”
[2]
What that means in reality is that British owners of .eu domains will need to set up an address within the European Union and then shift the domain registration details to that address. If domain holders want to do that, it’s not actually very difficult – any number of registrars will do it for you in order to have your business. EU citizens based in the UK don't need a physical Euro address to keep their .eu.
According to EURid, more than 7,000 domains have been updated as required since January when the domains were [3]facing suspension following Britain’s official exit from the European Union.
[4]
Leave.EU takes back control – and shifts its domain name to be inside the European Union [5]READ MORE
Despite the extension, however, it’s hard not to wonder why the EU decided to impose such an idiotic policy in the first place. It has long been industry best practice to leave domain names alone and allow their natural expiration dates (people typically register a domain for one or two years before they are prompted to renew it) to drive changes, rather than insist on arbitrary deadlines and impose new ownership requirements.
The European Union found out why that was the industry standard approach the hard way: it has had to review its rules at least four times, both as Brexit dates shifted and as .eu holders threaten to sue over poorly thought-out approaches.
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Brussels bureaucrats also stretched their relationship with EURid as the contracted operator of the .eu registry, first imposing a policy that EURid recommended against, and then forcing it to make a series of changes which had to communicate to domain holders each time.
First, in 2018, the EU [6]decided that any .eu domain registered by a Brit or with a British address would simply be cancelled, which infuriated British firms doing business in the EU, Brits living in Europe, and EU citizens living in the UK.
After several iterations, in which Europeans living in the UK [7]got mad , then Brits living in the EU [8]got mad , then everyone argued that it made no sense to cancel names without a grace period, it was finally decided that only Brits based in the UK would have their domains taken away, and that rather than being cancelled, they would instead be suspended and ultimately sold off in 2022 if not reanimated.
[9]
By the time the rules were settled, however, the damage was already done. Of the 317,000 .eu domains owned by Brits in 2018, all but 81,470 were dumped, reducing the size of the .eu registry and cutting millions from the EU’s own budget as it takes a cut on every registration. In short, another Brexit own goal. ®
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[1] https://eurid.eu/en/news/update-on-brexit-related-domain-names-1/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YCVirNgt08DQKSfcbp3R7wAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/05/brexit_81000_eu_domains/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YCVirNgt08DQKSfcbp3R7wAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/08/leave_eu_domain_name_hilarity/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2018/03/29/eu_dumps_300000_ukowned_domains_into_brexit_bin/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2019/01/28/dot_eu_brexit/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2019/07/20/brexit_eu_domains/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YCVirNgt08DQKSfcbp3R7wAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Especially since any EU address actually being used is probably by some pro-eu group, the others are just companies paying to protect their name, it seems a bit counter productive
Like Leave.eu ?
We are still in "Europe"
To me, ".eu" means being geographically in the continental land mass of Europe, NOT being in the European Union. Europe came first!
Their own rules are equally inconsistent, allowing "Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway" as registration addresses.
Last time I looked these were not member states.
It seems inconsistent that NI addresses are not allowed, someone should point that our to Sinn Fein.
(In case you were wondering, I love gammon).
Re: We are still in "Europe"
We should create a .eur and allow Russia and Turkey to use it
Re: We are still in "Europe"
You could have so much fun in French then:
vaccine.lent.eur
macron.ment.eur
eu.horr.eur
etc...
Re: We are still in "Europe"
Welcome to [1]stup.id , then
[1] http://stup.id
Re: We are still in "Europe"
" allowing "Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway" as registration addresses "
They are members of the European Economic Area, not the European Union. So there's quite a bit of confusion - EU, EEA, geographical Europe.
The simple answer though would be for some cunning European law firm or similar to provide a registration address, rather like the company registered office address services in the UK. Even at a nominal charge per annum, this could [a] solve the problem and [b] turn out quite profitable. It would also reverse the losses to the EU domain registry.
As Third Country businesses trading with the EU already need a "representative" in a member state for the purposes of the GDPR and such services are already available, it would also seem quite easy to arrange by extension.
Re: We are still in "Europe"
To me, ".eu" means being geographically in the continental land mass of Europe, NOT being in the European Union.
Their own rules are equally inconsistent, allowing "Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway" as registration addresses.Last time I looked these were not member states.
While .eu might have that meaning for you, that doesn't make it true. ISO has the last word on this as the authority on ISO3166. ISO say the EU 3166 code "refers to European Union". It's on their exceptionally reserved list, not the list of countries.
Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway are part of the European Economic Area and as such are closely tied to the EU. They're in the single market, the customs union and have signed up to the Schengen Treaty. So has Switzerland I think. These countries are effectively EU member states without formally signing up as members. Which means they get the benefits of EU membership - if registering .eu domain names can be seen as a benefit.
Re: We are still in "Europe"
To me, .eu means being in the EU. Wikipedia has this to say on the subject:
.eu is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the European Union (EU). Launched on 7 December 2005, the domain is available for any person, company or organization based in the European Union. This was extended to the European Economic Area in 2014, after the regulation was incorporated into the EEA Agreement, and hence is also available for any person, company or organization based in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
I'm pretty sure we could have asked to be included as well, in our amazing brexit deal, but, as with arranging visa-free travel for touring musicians, which was on offer, our shitty government went for the "leave means leave" attitude and fucked it off.
Also, you might need to check where Sinn Féin are based; last time I walked past it, their headquarters was in Dublin, which very much is within the EU.
Who in their right minds wants a toxic and moribund .eu domain these days? Sheesh
Toxic and moribund people, such as leave.eu, perhaps?
The ~3m+ people who have bought these names. They obviously don't think .eu domain names are toxic or moribund since they have willingly spent their money on them.
And refund of the fees?
I’m a Brit and my .eu domain was paid up till 2027.
I’m not able to get a refund of the fees for time I’m not able to use as they’ve taken away the service I’ve paid for.
They should have just let them lapse at their natural expiry and not allow them to be renewed if you didn’t meet the requirements.
Re: And refund of the fees?
In any other market, this would be called theft.
Icon, will happen to EU one day and be all of their own making
Re: And refund of the fees?
Presumably finding an alternative domain and arranging for a refund for the .eu domain was what the transition period (Feb 2020-Dec 2020) was for?
Sticking your head in a bucket and pretending it hadn't happen might work for the British government (for small values of work), but odds on the average British citizen is going to be left high and dry if they believe their .eu domain is going to work in 2021.
If this is a problem, take it up with your local government (for local people).
We had a .eu address, partly to reserve it and partly as we used it for some email outside of our domain. Once this silliness started we dropped it even though I could have just changed the registrant to our Polish subsidiary.
OK I doubt the EU cares about our few euros but it all adds up.
The UK is in Europe!
> " The British owners of 74,000 suspended .eu domain names have been given an additional three months to change their registration details to an address in Europe before they are permanently taken away. "
This kind of language really grinds my gears. The UK is IN Europe and will continue to be in Europe until plate tectonic decree otherwise. What the author should have said was "... to an adress in the EU...".
This continualy "othering" of Europe and not viewing ourselves as the Europeans we are is IMHO one of the many things that resulted in Brexit.
Please be more careful, language matters.
Re: The UK is in Europe!
Don't take it seriously, the European Commission is a kindergarten of discarded national politicians getting 300K a year as a reward for not messing things up at home. Von der Leyen is a typical example.
Re: The UK is in Europe!
So if it was not for Brexit, the complete current UK government could have been transferred to Brussels?
A lucky escape for the EU :P
Re: The UK is in Europe!
Lucky indeed, as they tended to get the ones that are so bad they can't even get elected as MPs here, seven times. I really despair of my fellow countrymen, when so many thought it would be a grand idea to vote Nigel Farage into a job he didn't even bother to turn up to most of the time.
Good read
"it’s hard not to wonder why the EU decided to impose such an idiotic policy in the first place"
There isnt too much wondering. Its that mix of spite, general incompetence and ignorance the EU has continued to demonstrate. The latest incarnation being vaccine procurement and lashing out at other countries as well as the very producers of the vaccine being sold at cost.
Re: Good read
You must be squinting pretty hard to see that through the miasma of gross incompetence our own government is radiating. The only thing they have got even half-right in the last year is the vaccination programme. If there ever was a place to go to see "spite, general incompetence and ignorance", it's our current government under the control of ignorant brexiters.
Re: Good read
@Loyal Commenter
"You must be squinting pretty hard to see that through the miasma of gross incompetence our own government is radiating."
Why? I have no issue with you pointing out where the UK gov gets it wrong. What amuses me is the idea that sticking another gov on top with its own gross incompetence makes things any better? Are you one of those remainers who thinks we should have joined the EU procurement plan for ventilators and vaccine? Or are you glad we have some?
Re: Good read
What amuses me is the idea that sticking another gov on top with its own gross incompetence makes things any better? Are you one of those remainers who thinks we should have joined the EU procurement plan for ventilators and vaccine? Or are you glad we have some?
I think you have, as ever, missed the point of the EU. It's not there as "another gov on top", it is a mechanism for the governments of the member nations to cooperate, because if they don't cooperate, what you get is nationalism, and nationalism is the height of stupidity and leads to wars.
I'm not going to claim that the EU parliament always gets it right, but its workings mean that more often than not, cooperation is needed between nations for anything to happen, unlike our parliament, which has an unelected second house that cannot enforce amendment or oversight of policies dictated by the majority party in the commons.
Moving onto your second point, I'll not argue that EU procurement has been perfect either. However, I reckon we would have done well to have joined in with the PPE procurment which was offered to us and our arrogant leaders chose to ignore and pretend they hadn't got the emails. In case your memory doesn't stretch back more than a few months, last spring, our government was giving our PPE contracts to mates of mates, pest control firms, and some dodgy suppliers in Turkey, where whole shipments of unsafe PPE had to be scrapped at huge costs to the taxpayer. If you think the EU procurement was worse than ours, or indeed anywhere near as bad, then your spectacles truly are rose-tinted.
Re: Good read
Well how about replacing one layer of grossly incompetent with another? We don't have to add one.
I for one would rather have Brussels fucking it all up instead of Boris and his clown cabinet.
Covid's killed just about more people in the UK thant he whole of the EU combined. Who's fault is that?
Welcome to the Brexit, sir. I'm sorry.
Was their any good way to remove .eu domains registered from the UK? No.
Was there any good way to extract the UK economy from its neighbours? No.
Was there any good way to keep British citizens' EU treaty rights? No.
Still, at least [1]Amsterdam is celebrating their second Christmas in two months . Brexit isn't all bad news.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-markets-idUKKBN2AB0I8
Added to the EU vaccination SNAFU this leaves the impression that EU level bureaucrats are not helping the European nations progress.